But the media and a captivated country would not forget about it. They would not move on. With the anthem unfolding on camera and the normally sedated San Diego stands transforming into a scene straight out of Veterans Stadium, Padres executives knew they had to enter damage-control mode as Werner huddled with them immediately following the anthem. The game became secondary to an impending controversy — a word rarely synonymous with a team fronted by media darling Tony Gwynn. Strasberg would call it, without question, the biggest PR hit during his Padres tenure.

Strasberg: I needed to find out what was going on and I saw what the reaction was. I needed to find out what the ball club was doing as a result of that.

Julius Randle*, Lakers: Randle has improved every year that he’s been in the league, and he finished last season with 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds, focusing his offense more on shots around the basket — he made 55.8 percent from the field. The Lakers could be in position to make a free-agent splash, which would mean losing Randle. He’ll get interest from young, building teams like Phoenix, Dallas and Indiana.

Derrick Favors, Jazz: Favors has had injury troubles and does not necessarily fit well with center Rudy Gobert. It would make sense for the Jazz to let him explore the market. He is still productive when healthy, though, so Utah could sign him back on a team-friendly contract if he gets no other credible offers.